Review Blog

Jan 28 2016

Anna and the Swallow Man by Gavriel Savit

Bodley Head, 2015. ISBN: 9781782300533
(Age: 12+) Highly recommended. Anna and the Swallow Man
tells of the heartbreaking search of a little girl for meaning after
her father, a professor of linguistics, disappears in Poland nearing
the end of 1939. The country is in turmoil and bears and wolves are
everywhere, determined to maintain control of the nation while
Germany's forces expand. The story centres on Anna, whose life is
about to change forever. A little girl with nothing more to lose,
and everything to gain.
Having been left in the care of a German shopkeeper, Anna expects
her father to return at any moment. When he doesn't return, Herr
Doktor Fuchsmann refuses to have her in his shop any longer. Ever
the good girl, Anna respects his wishes, waiting outside of the
shop. Instead of her father appearing, Anna is approached by a tall,
slender man in fine clothes and a red neck tie. Curious about her,
he begins asking her questions, switching from language to language,
unaware that she can understand them all. United by their
multi-lingual talents, Anna follows the man out of town; hence, her
new life begins.
Life is hard. Days are spent walking, foraging and avoiding patrols.
Like her father, the Swallow Man is incredibly knowledgeable. He
teaches her about the birds in the wetlands and how to be deceptive.
He shows her how to get what she wants, what she needs, from people
without ever having to ask. He teaches her how to survive. He has
become everything to her. A friend. A mentor. A father. But can he
maintain such a relationship when even her real father could not?
Like her Swallow Man, she must do all that she can to stay alive,
never to give in.
Already, this novel has been said to sit together with The Book
Thief and The Boy in the Stripped Pyjamas. I would
highly recommend it to all readers above twelve. While being set
among very real events, the story possesses qualities of magical
realism and enough intrigue to keep a reader guessing.
Kayla Gaskell (age 19)